27 October 2016

We already know that you are passionate about designing. Tell us a little bit more about your love towards music.

Music is life, passion, which was embedded into my veins when I used to paint portraits. Once I managed to create a tiny little transistor which had soul station on it. Besides designing I DJ, but I would not call myself a professional. I just express my feelings with the type of music that I play - jazz, soul and funky, whenever I possibly can at an event. I also listen to music in the studio, but in an open way, never with my ears plugged because I feel that we need to hear the sounds around us, not just the music. I do not really want to cut myself off from the world. When people walk around with their headphones on, they really close themselves from the outside. Those things that you hear are very inspirational. Maybe that tiny little sound from a building or a squeak.

Have you got any other passions besides art and music?

Cars, they are something. I had 10 of them, at the moment I have 4. When I was growing up, I lived in India for a little while, in a village where nobody had a car. If any came we used to run after it, to see how far we can see it. When I came to England, I became a lot more passionate. When I was able to buy my dream car, a Porsche, I was falling in love with it and drove it so fast. You can consider cars as they take you from A to B or you can use them as a friend, as a tool of your expression, well-being or passion. It does not matter what you drive, whether it is a 50 year old BMW or a brand new Aston Martin, it is about how you drive it and what you do with it.

Which is your actual dream car and where would you go with it?

I would like to go back to the Porsche 356 from 1964 as quickly as I possibly can. It is beautiful, relaxing, definitely for touring. I would go to the South of France, Wales or South West coast of England.

How does an average day of yours look like?

To me every day is a fresh day. I wake up at 6 in the morning, spend an hour inside and outside of the bathroom to climatise my body, which helps to fortify the immune system. I am normally at work at 8 or 8:30. I have meetings or I just design products. If I am not out of the country, I like to spend my time in my studio because I can be a lot more creative there. I do not need to go outside to get inspiration. If anybody could see my workshop, they would know that there are millions of inspirations just within my space, in a table, in a post… it depends on how you value it.

Do you ever get stuck with your creativity?

Whenever I do get stuck or feel down, I close my eyes and go back to the happiest moment that I had when I was 8 years old. It was when my father went to India to build a house for us. My job was to look after the site at lunchtime after coming back from school. While standing at the top of the heap, in the dirt, managing the site without builders who were gone for lunch, I was the king of that castle. For me that was the happiest possible moment of my life. If we can go onto that little fantasy island, the happy island of ours, we can use it as a springboard to anything we want. When we are sad or down, we start looking inwards. You just have to believe in yourself and the projects that you design. Once you lost that belief, you are finished. Therefore, I can always easily go across any obstacles. If something seems impossible, then maybe we should find a way to modify it and still complete the design as it should be designed. If we are able to create with our hands, our stomach would be full anywhere in the world. This was the thing my father said to me the day before he passed away at my age 11. Since that day, all I have done with my hands is creativity.

What are your plans for the future?

To live until 110, to live healthy, to be creative and to make people happy once being creative. Also, I am creating a tiny little workshop for designing bags, so if anybody is interested, please let me now.